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Ingway and Mercedes
Ingway and Mercedes's relationship is one of the major romantic relationships in Odin Sphere's plotline. Overview Ingway and Mercedes's relationship is commonly cited by fans as being the most tragic relationship in the game. While Gwendolyn and Oswald and Cornelius and Velvet were ultimately able to live out the rest of their lives together and in happiness, Ingway and Mercedes canonically died before they could address their feelings for one another. (Mercedes, however, gets the chance to confess her feelings in the False Ending if she's pitted against the Darkova, with Ingway realizing that he truly loves her too.) Despite the tragic outcome of their relationship, ironically enough, the beginning of their romance is the most comical of the three. Ingway was turned into a frog by the Wise Men and needed a fairy's kiss in order to break the curse. Although Mercedes promises to grant him a wish when he offers to retrieve her bow, she's incredibly reluctant to help him when she finds out he wants a kiss, as she's disgusted by the slimy and poisonous nature of frogs. The relationship only becomes serious during Chapter 4 of Fairy Land when Ingway nearly kills himself protecting Mercedes from Beldor, at which point she finally kisses him and reverts him to his human form. The PS2 version initially didn't address whether their spirits were reunited following their deaths. Leifthrasir, however, adds a bonus end card to the True End if all the False End cutscenes are obtained, showing that the roots of Mercedes's tree have extended all the way to where Ingway is in the Netherworld. Plot Synopsis Coming soon! Mythological and Literary Influences The main part of their story together is almost word for word a retelling of The Frog Prince. In the original tale, the Princess drops her golden ball (Mercedes's crossbow in this case) into a pond. A talking frog appears and offers to retrieve it for her, which he does. Although the Princess is initially disgusted by the frog, she forms a close bond with him and eventually kisses him, causing the frog to turn into a handsome prince. The overall tragic nature of their relationship is also seen as being a reference to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, with the two ultimately dying and remaining together in death. (Although rather than dying together, Ingway is killed due to wounds sustained in his battle with Cornelius while Mercedes dies a little while afterwards following her battle with Onyx.) Gallery Manga Chapter 3 Preview.jpeg|Mercedes and Ingway's first encounter in the manga Ingway demanding.png|Ingway demanding that Mercedes give him a kiss after she saved him Ingway stabbing Beldor.png|Ingway protecting Mercedes from Beldor during their unique cutscene Farewell prince.png|Mercedes being helped up by Ingway after breaking his curse Leifthrasir Bonus Endcard.png|The bonus endcard from Leifthrasir showing Ingway and the flower OSL04_lyot_w1280.jpg|A goofy guest illustrator comic by Riyo, illustrator of the manga adaptions for "Miss Monochrome" and "Fate/Grand Order" Trivia * Mercedes's confession to Ingway in the False End differs slightly between languages. In the Japanese version she explicitly tells him that she "loves him" while the English dub has her say "I really care for you." * In both versions of the game, there is no indication that Mercedes had met or seen Ingway before their encounter in Elrit Forest. In Chapter 5 of the [http://landoferion.wikia.com/wiki/Odin_Sphere_Leifthrasir:_Little_Fairy_Queen Little Fairy Queen] manga, however, Mercedes is shown to be daydreaming about his human form, as she had apparently caught a glimpse of him at some point before the story begins. (Humorously, Ingway in his frog form is right next to her during this) Category:Relationships Category:Fanon